In 2009, the community of Manceras, Nicaragua and Project Schoolhouse collaborated to construct a new three-room school. Secure, well lit, and well ventilated, the new school was an immense improvement over the previous 200 sq ft wooden building they had been using for many years.

Like many of our projects, there were significant transportation challenges to overcome with this school. Travel time was nearly 5 hours by truck from our headquarters in Rio Blanco with two hours of that over a temporary dirt road made slippery when wet.

In fact, towards the end of the project, the last truck that successfully delivered materials to the school slid off the road. The community was forced to unload 200 bags of cement by hand and then hitch up nearly twenty horses to the dump truck in order to pull it back onto the road. The cement was re-loaded and the truck was assisted the rest of the way with horses pulling it through the remaining slippery spots. These project often require unbelievable persistence from the local communities in order to overcome obstacles such as these. The dedication shown by these recipient communities is inspiring.

The project took six months to complete and now houses the community’s 75 students as well as adult students who are taking advantage of the opportunity to learn to read.